Newspaper Clippings - Volume 37 - Volume 43

Something New at Virginia.--The greatest excitement in the clothes dealing line ever known at Virginia is progressing there now. A firm recently established on C street [Barmir Bros], posted notices and advertised to the effect that they would sell clothing or anything else in their line, fifty per cent cheaper than any other dealers in town. This created a belligerency, in consequence of which the other dealers yesterday started in to undersell them and run them out. The well known and long established firm of Haas & Co. advertise to-day to sell one hundred per cent. cheaper than anybody else, and the consequence is that a huge run is being made on their establishment. They will sell full business suits, of first rate material, for ten dollars each.

On Monday Morning, says the Solano (Cal.) Press of June 3, J. H. Mundall, of Gold Hill (Nevada), and a step-son of Philip Lynch of the News, committed suicide by taking an overdose of morphine at Fairfield. He came here on the boat on Saturday night, and was laboring under a mild form of delirium tremens. He constantly imagined that a mob was intending to assassinate him, and he made threats of taking his own life. On Monday he was found in a dying condition on the Vaca road, and died shortly after being brought to Fairfield. He had on his person $316 50 in coin, besides a gold watch, breastpin and sleeve buttons. He was rather a fine looking man, about thirty-five years of age, and his insanity no doubt was caused by excessive drinking. Three physicians were summoned to his assistance when first found, but before they arrived he died, almost without a struggle. They unanimously concur in the statement that his death was owing to morphine, and there is no doubt but that he took his own life.

THE EVENING NEWS.

Wednesday Evening, . . . June 17, 1868.

HORRIBLE MINING ACCIDENT.--About 7 o'clock last evening--the hour for a change of shifts--Robert Powers, a miner, was killed in the Imperial-Empire shaft. He had been working in the Imperial drift, at the 900-foot level from the shaft, where the air is very close and warm, notwithstanding the arrangements for forcing fresh air down there from the surface. He had drank considerable cold water, and half an hour before coming up complained of not feeling well. Just before getting upon the cage he took another drink of water, and immediately vomited it up. One of his companions remarked to him, "Bob, you're sick." He replied, "Yes, that's so; but I'll be all right when we get to the top." He put on his shirt, threw his coat over his shoulders and got upon the cage, starting up with five others. When within about a hundred feet of the top he complained of being faint and sank down. Those next to him caught hold of his coat, and if it had not been on would have saved him, but it came off his shoulders and the unfortunate miner rolled from the side of the cage, between the sets of timbers, and fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of eight hundred feet or more. Mr. Colcord, the Superintendent, got upon the cage, as soon as its arrival at the surface made the news of the accident known, and descending to the sump or well-room at the bottom of the shaft, fished for the body, and after some little trouble succeeded in finding it. When it was brought to the surface a horrible sight was presented, All the clothing was gone with the exception of one leg of the pants, one hand and one foot were torn completely off, and nearly the whole rear portion of the skull torn open so that the brain had all come out. Both legs and arms were also broken. The shaft is timbered with twelve inch square timbers in sets, the hand and foot, and perhaps the head were probably caught between the edge of the timber and the cage. The foot was still hanging by its lacerated and bloody muscles to one of the timbers, but the hand had not been found at last accounts. It probably went to the bottom of the sump. An inquest was held upon the body at noon to-day, and the verdict of the jury was in accordance with the above, it being also elicited by testimony that deceased was a native of Waterford, Ireland, 36 years of age, unmarried, and has no relatives in this state. He has a mother living in Syracuse, New York, brothers in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, also sisters in some of the Western States. He came to this State from Kansas, in 1859, and has been working at the Imperial-Empire shaft since June 1st, having arrived recently from Aurora, Esmeralda county. This is the first fatal accident that has occurred at the new shaft. The testimony agreed that the cage was passing up the shaft only at the usual rate of speed, and nothing was adduced casting the slightest blame on any one.

TERRITORIAL ENTERPRISE

Thursday . . . August 27, 1868

THE VOLCANO.--Hundreds of persons yesterday visited the summit of Mount Butler to examine for themselves the strange conflagration going on in a sort of cave or large crevice among the rocks. All brought back specimens of the stuff which they found burning there, and there were a thousand and one opinions in regard to the nature of the same. It seems to be a sort of conglomerate of pitch, pine leaves and sticks, the ordure of various small animals and loam--the accumulation of hundreds of years, perhaps. Parties who visited it yesterday say that in the back part of the cavern--which is 30 or 40 feet deep, from two to six feet wide, and 15 to 20 feet high in the highest part--they found a strong flame issuing from a mass of burning matter, which flame reached up to the roof of the cavern, and was deflected forward, like flames in an oven. The whole place was exceedingly hot, yet some ventured in so far that the flames reached over their heads, and at the risk of a scorching raked out specimens of the burning matter. We have conversed with gentlemen here who say that there are caves in Humboldt County in which the same matter has accumulated to a depth of not less than 40 feet. At Cave Rock, Lake Tahoe, there is a deposit of the same stuff which is supposed to be nearly 100 feet deep, and at Silver City, Lyon County, in what is called Table Mountain, is a cave which contains a large quantity of the same material. The singular compound is doubtless formed of pine burs, sticks and leaves carried into the caverns by squirrels, mountain rats, and other small animals where the wood has decayed, having the indestructible pitch to mingle with and cement together, the ordure and decomposed vegetable fibre. This process being continued for ages would result in the accumulation of immense masses of such stuff as has been found in the Mount Butler cave. To have volcanoes of the same kind through the country it is only necessary to set fire to the combustible matter i the various caverns. A gentleman in this city informs us that some boys, who were out hunting some goats, saw the fire burning in this cavern on Mount Butler some eight weeks ago, though it was then burning in a feeble and smouldering way.

THE EVENING NEWS

Tuesday Evening . . . October 13, 1868

Terrible Homicide.

About half-past four o'clock this morning, a terrible homicide was enacted at Virginia, the victim in this case being John Ahern, formerly an engineer at the Gould & Curry mill, and also, we believe, at one time an engineer at Silver City. He was between twenty-nine and thirty years of age, and a native of County Kerry, Ireland. He came to California in 1862, and soon afterward came to this State; the last few years previous to his coming to this coast he had been a resident of New York. He left here on a visit to the East and Europe about a year and a half ago, and only last evening returned, bringing with him a younger brother, named Dennis Ahern, who had never been on this coast before. The elder brother having many friends and acquaintances in Virginia, introduced the younger, and they went about the city together from one place to another, and drinking pretty freely both became noise, troublesome and disorderly, especially the younger, Dennis, who although a mere stripling, proclaimed himself a "chief," that he was a "New York fighting man," and all that sort of thing--assertions of extremely doubtful policy in a Washoe community. In fact, both are said to have been drunkenly abusive to many persons wherever they went.

Immediately previous to the homicide, John Ahern was in Doyle & Rainery's saloon, on C street, where, it appears that he used some abusive language toward George Swearinger--commonly known as "Black George"--who was present, but with whom he seemed to have no particular cause of difficulty. Walter Winn, the barkeeper, seeing prospects of a row, at once took Ahern out, or put him out, while other parties were restraining George. As soon, however, as George could free himself he started out, saying that "no man should call him a son of a bitch and get away with it." He met Ahern just outside the door, on the sidewalk, and a scuffle ensued between them. Dennis Ahern was in the street, a short distance from them, and seeing his brother in a fight, at once ran to his assistance, and struck George a blow with his fist which knocked him down. George immediately spring to his feet, drew a knife and stabbed John Ahern in the neck, inflicting mortal wounds, then turned towards the younger brother Dennis, cutting him on the arms in two or three places, inflicting slight wounds. Dennis ran, and by superior fleetness of foot escaped. George, too, now realizing what the consequences of his bloody deed might be, also took to his heels and ran along C street towards the Divide.

On receiving his fatal wound, John Ahern staggered about the sidewalk, bleeding profusely, his jugular vein or its branches being severed, and assisted by Officer McCourt, who now arrived, he walked into the saloon, where he soon sank dying upon the floor. His brother Dennis, who had returned, took possession of his personal effects in his pockets, consisting of a certificate of deposit on the Bank of California for $1000, a gold watch, and $180 in gold coin. Dr. Bronson was sent for directly after the stabbing and arrived just as Ahern had breathed his last, therefore it is estimated that he lived nearly 20 minutes after being stabbed. The only words he was heard to utter were to his brother when he returned to him as he stood bleeding on the sidewalk. He repulsed him with his hand, saying "Go away."

Officer McCourt started in pursuit of the murderer, and tracked him to Gold Hill where all further trace was lost. Judging from the scabbard which was found upon the sidewalk, the fatal knife must have been five or six inches long. The body was taken to Wilson's undertaking establishment, on B street. Just beneath the left ear is a deep, ghastly wound, about three inches in length, and beneath the opposite ear is a smaller one, as though the knife had passed entirely through. At the left of the windpipe, just under the chin, as another deep wound, evidently made with a knife blade about an inch wide. He received still another knife wound in the left side, but the point struck a rub and did but little injury. A coroner's inquest was held before Justice Bush, at 10 a.m. to day, and the evidence elicited was in accordance with the main points of this sad affair as we have narrated them.